Alex Ovechkin was just tossed from today’s Game of the Week for an ugly boarding check on Brian Campbell. He received a five minute penalty and a game misconduct for a hit from behind on “Soupy.”

Look, regardless of your preference in the Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry, it’s hard not to admire Ovechkin’s apparent disregard for his own body. Unfortunately, the talented Russian cares even less about the safety of his opponents. He’s had his controversial knee-to-knee hits, a dirty hit on Daniel Briere a few years back and now this.

So, the question is: will the league consider suspending one of its biggest stars? Are they going to say that he’s “not a repeat offender” again? Could the boarding penalty be considered “good enough”? Or, finally, was the hit simply not that bad at all?

I know the Booth family, the concern that was felt whether or not David will play again or not was thick as fog. He wasn’t able to play in the olympics and this just happening after signing a long-term deal with the Panthers. That hit, where no penalty was assessed and where David was out cold on the ice and the lengthy time out of playing hockey was wrong.
I believe that any time a player is knocked unconcious and leaves on a stretcher is cause for concern and needs to be looked at under the microscope. Hit of this caliber are really no different than the one that ended Cam Neely’s career. That hit that David Booth took, could have been life ending/career ending. Not Cool.

stillhavnfun - Mar 14, 2010 at 1:38 PM

Good call by the officiating the shove was uncalled for and deliberate with intent ,while that close to the boards the player has to make a legal check ,and shoving Campbell as he did validates their decision to call the major and a misconduct . He knew it too i think by his demeanor after the fact shows he’s aware he screwed up and the league should except the punishment as stands . Now i don’t see enough of his play to judge him cause of my lack of knowledge of his actions in the past. Therefore the league may feel the need for a 3game suspension , any more of a suspension than that i think would be excessive punishment for the incident.

NHL Fan - Mar 14, 2010 at 2:27 PM

Whine,whine,whine. Ovechkin slammed a man against the boards, contrary to the NHL rules & common sense.
Milbury blubbered all the way through the 1st intermission.
The entire 2nd period,”play-by-play,” announcers acted as if they were commentators & it was still the 2nd intermission.
If the penalized player was not Ovechkin, these jokers would have ignored his game misconduct.
We want to hear the play-by-play, not the rantings of egotists, who are crying about the expulsion of the top guy in their hockey pool.
They should grow up & read their job descriptions,for it is this attitude that is ruining the games for others.

NHL Fan - Mar 14, 2010 at 2:35 PM

The third line above should have ended with, “it was still the 1st intermission, not the 2nd intermission as it appears above. Darn bi-focals….

Bro Sneeks - Mar 14, 2010 at 4:04 PM

Cambell tripped and Ovechkin started at his shoulder. If Cambe gets up it’s a minor, maybe a double. Semin got hit just as bad in the 3rd but he got back up. If it’s a penalty then call it, not wait to see if it results in an injury. The league will wait to see how the media and the public will react before they make a call. Or, most likely the anti-Ovechkin movement will continue and he will get suspended letting Crosby continue to score goals and continue to be the darling of the NHL.